Red Velvet Fortune Cookies

It’s rather interesting how life works sometimes. As a food blogger I find myself celebrating things months ahead of time sometimes in order to come up with a fun new recipe or for a deadline.

Such is the case for these cookies. I actually made these back in November when I started scheming for a video shoot for Appetites®. To be honest, I was kinda glad they didn’t choose to film this because it was literally something that I pulled out of brain at the last second while sitting in my parent’s living room the day before Thanksgiving.

I emailed it to them on whim only to realize moments later, “Oh my goodness. What if they pick this one!?” Off I trotted to the kitchen to make Valentine’s Day fortune cookies. thatwereaflop. Tasted fab though. Needless to say, when they chose other recipes I was more than happy to leave my fortune cookie days behind me, at least until Valentine’s Day.

The trick to these is to not to bake too many at once. It’s a fairly simple batter but the tricky part to these cookies is the folding. Work quickly, don’t make the batter circles too thick, and don’t forget the surprise!

Write fortunes or love notes on strips of paper measuring in size of about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Preheat oven to 300° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk the egg whites, vanilla, and oil until frothy but not stiff.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Add to the egg mixture and stir until combined.

Stir in the buttermilk, adding a little bit more if the batter is too thick. Add the food coloring, if desired.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheet. I fit 6 on a sheet at one time but you may want to do less depending on how quickly you can work at folding them once they are done.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges begin to crisp. Place the strip of paper in the middle and fold in half gently pressing the edges together. Bring the corners together by folding again over the rim of a glass or with your hands. Work very quickly as the cookies will harden once they cool.